


A Bound For Mjölnir

by orphan_account



Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Helheimr | Hel (Realm), Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Jötunheimr | Jotunheim, Loki - Freeform, Loki Odinson - Freeform, Marvel Norse Lore, Norse, The Nine Realms, Thor and Loki - Freeform, loki's brothers, loki's heritage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-14 12:52:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14769992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Blessed are the curious,and they shall have adventures."Alia had been banished from Asgard for 8 years. Since that day, she had dreamed of her return home.Now, home was coming to her.Bound to the infamous trickster in the search for Thor's hammer proves to be a frustrating task, and being hunted certainly doesn't help.Watch out, troubles ahead.





	1. The Tavern

Somewhere in Svartalfheim...

"And that's how I slaughtered a twelve foot, fire-breathing monster." Alia bragged, earning cheers and pats on the back from fellow drunk creatures. They were creatures of all shapes and sizes, her being the only remotely looking human there.

"Please, you flatter me." She failed to justify, ordering another drink from the barman. Or bar-thing, she wasn't there to judge.

Alia had found home in various taverns in different realms. At this point, she was notorious for her storytelling and history. Since her banishment, she had grown quite a name for herself. Admittedly, her stories were fabricated. Of course, everyone is too drunk to realise that factor.

Spending the rest of your life drinking and betting is a dream come true for some. For Alia, it was the very opposite of a fantasy. She was homesick, to put it bluntly. She didn't mind the fame or the drinking, it was the prospect of having no place to call home that left her hopeless.

"You must join us at our game!" One elf proclaimed, a deck of cards visible in his hands.

Alia grinned as she looked down at the elf. She would have participated if she wasn't as drunk as she was. She knew her chances of winning were slim when she was this intoxicated, so she politely declined.  
"Thank you for the offering, but not tonight."

The elf frowned. He made no big scene, but Alia could see the frustration he held.

"I'll play with you tomorrow, little guy." She promised, reassuring the fat elf. He nodded in approval and waddled off to play with his other small friends.

Alia picked up the drink the barman placed in front of her.

She mumbled a thank you as she downed the drink. Alia swore that this drink would be the last; she knew she would regret the alcohol tomorrow.

"I have to say, quite an impressive story." A deep voice commented, as Alia drunkenly turned to the source.

Her eyes widened, recognising the scruffy facial hair. Anyone in any realm, even when drunk, would recognise the man that sat next to her.

"Thor Odinson." She spoke, the words sounding foreign off her tongue. It had been so long since she had spoken the name out loud.

Thor raised his brow, judging the drunken woman beside him.

"May I ask why you are drunken beyond belief in broad daylight?" He challenged, watching Alia grimace at his question.

"Funny you say that. I recall you doing the same thing many years back." Alia blurted out, suppressing a hiccup.

Thor didn't reply, his eyes narrowing at her statement.

"Why are you here? I wish to drink in peace." She continued, waving the Thunder God away.

Alia didn't know what his intentions were by coming here, not believing it was a matter of coincidence.

"Do you not wish to return to Asgard?" Thor countered, causing Alia's attention to peak.

If she was to speak truthfully, she wanted to return more then anything. It was the only thing she had dreamt about since her exile.

"I would, but why should I place hope on something that will never happen." She stated, anger edging her tone. Thor quickly picked up on this, alongside the rest of the tavern, so he sought to soften his voice.

"I'm offering you a proposal. It will allow you back in Asgard and if you complete the task at hand you will return permanently." Thor explained, now whispering so the rest of the tavern didn't overhear.

"What do you want me to do?" She slurred, finding his explanation broad.

"Well, some recent events have led me to you..." Thor hesitantly began, his voice becoming on edge.

"Go on." Alia urged him, leaning in closer to the man so they could whisper.

"Mjölnir has gone missing." He blurted out quickly, leaving Alia to stumble on the words. It took her a few seconds to process the sentence, due to how drunk she was, but soon looked down to notice the absence of his hammer.

"How the Helheim did you lose something that is made to come back to you?" She questioned with a slight smile, finding his problem amusing.

"This is not a joking matter. It leaves the citizens of Asgard in serious danger if Mjölnir falls into the wrong hands." Thor warned, not approving of her small grin.

Alia snorted in amusement at his stern voice, not realising the seriousness of the situation.

"My father predicts it to be some kind of dark magic. I know nothing more." He edged on, ignoring Alia's gestures. Thor had no clue how his hammer was stolen, not believing that someone else could be worthy.

"Okay, I've got it. Now, what do you want me to do?" She inquired, doubting the man in front of her.

"You see, I cannot retrieve the hammer at the moment. I don't have the tracking skills nor magic to locate it."

"Neither do I, to be honest." Alia shrugged, not seeing his point.

"Yes, I know. But my brother does." Thor continued. It took her a couple seconds to remember who his brother was, again because she was too intoxicated, and what his name could be.

"Locus?" She spoke aloud, stumbling on the word.

"No, Loki." He corrected.

Alia stared at him for a few seconds.

"The trickster God. My adopted brother, but I suppose you found out the truth of his heritage long before others." Thor explained, watching as her face lifted in recognition.

"Oh!" Alia clicked her fingers, all the memories flashing back, "The magical one! I remember he was real close with the horses." Alia slurred again, realising who he was referring to, chuckling to herself.

"Yes, Loki. But he will not retrieve it willingly." Thor continued to endeavour.

"Yeah, that's pretty understandable." She muttered, her head becoming heavy.

"So, I'm asking you to supervise him on his journey." Thor smiled.  
She didn't find the prospect of babysitting fun.

"No. Fuck off." She blurted out, earning a few cheers from the elves who were overhearing.

"You'll gain your home back! What do you have to lose?!" He spoke quickly, trying his best to persuade her.

"What's stopping Loki from killing me and making his escape?" She questioned, finding the whole proposal outlandish.

"You see, we'll put a bound in place. Therefore, any harm done to you happens to him as well." He added on, as if he made it up on the whim. Maybe he had.

Alia cringed at the thought of being bound to Loki.  
"Why me?" She asked desperately.

"No one else will do it, no matter how much money I offered them. So my father suggested coming to you, as citizenship to Asgard can't exactly be bought."

Alia sighed heavily. She was drunk, but not drunk enough to go along with such a stupid plan.

"I'm not risking my life finding a hammer I can't even lift with a person I don't know anymore." She explained, much to Thor's disappointment.

Thor frowned and pierced his gaze through hers.

"Fine then," Thor spoke grudgingly,  
"Sit here, drinking your life away doing nothing but telling false stories." He spat, causing Alia to frown.

Alia glared at him, watching intensely as he got up from his chair.  
"They're not fake!" She called after him.

Alia swallowed hard. She wanted to be back in Asgard so badly; she did not want an old and dusty tavern to be her deathbed. Her eyes bore into Thor's red cape as he made his way towards the exit. She pondered in her mind all the possible ways she could die if she went along with the proposal. But, then she weighed it out with the possibility of living on Asgard again, and suddenly the deal became a lot more appealing. Before she could regret it, 3 words came sprawling out of her mouth.

"I'll do it."


	2. A Chat With A Prisoner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home, at last.

Alia awoke to the feeling of smooth metal against her back. Not wanting to open her eyes, she briefly moved her fingers against the smooth surface. 

Gradually, sound began to erupt around her, gaining her hearing once more.   
It was quiet whispers, she assumed they were hushed so they would not wake her. 

She let one eye pry open, closing it almost immediately, meeting a visually blinding light. Alia groaned under her breath, which she could tell spiked attention as more conversations commenced. 

"Alia, you must rest more." A feminine voice called to her, placing a small delicate hand on her shoulder.

"Where am I?" She muttered, rubbing her eyes, a hand prevented her from sitting up. 

She opened her eyes finding the light more easy to comprehend, meeting familiar eyes, albeit not genuinely recognising the blonde lady. She squinted around her, turning her head to the side to see guards talking amongst themselves. 

"Please." The woman asked the guards to seize their conversations, who nodded immediately, falling silent upon command.   
"You are in Asgard." She explained, wiping a stray hair away from Alia's face. "Or more accurately, in the infirmary." She finished, flashing a white smile.

"Asgard?" She croaked, coughing into the crook of her elbow.

"Yes, dear." She confirmed, letting go of her shoulder.

She sat up gradually, resting on her elbows, yawning perfunctorily. Alia was back in Asgard, after 8 long years. 

About fucking time. 

"How long was I out for?" She inquired, the recollections of past events being hard to recall. 

"No more then 2 days. You were lucky my son was willing to carry you." She answered. 

Alia froze, realising who she was speaking with. 

"Queen Frigga, I apologise for not formally addressing you, I didn't recognise yo-"

"Preposterousness, you have just woken up, I think that weighs as a worthy excuse." She reassured, smiling at her panic. Alia sighed, swinging her feet over the table, dangling her legs off the metal. 

"Have you been here long?"

"No, Eir informed me that you would awake shortly."

"Ah I see," She paused, turning her head to the queen,

"I was told I had business with Loki, right?" 

Frigga merely chuckled, standing up and ushering Alia up with her. 

"I was told to bring you to him. Odin will speak further about the issues surrounding Thor." Alia was confused on how brief she was. She wondered if anyone in Asgard actually knew his hammer was stolen. She arched her brow, recollections of Loki coming back to you. It had been a while since they had met, him being the reason she was banished in the first place. 

Frigga sensed her thinking and soothed her shoulder once more.   
"Thats in the past. Odin will be willing to forgive." The queen firmly said, almost like she was hearing her hostile thoughts. 

Alia scoffed, but left no comment. 

"Shall I escort you to Loki?" She suggested, pushing her gently forward.

"Oh yes, that would be much appreciated." Alia thanked her. The guards moved out of the way, letting her view the airy hallway.  
Frigga quickly walked ahead of her; she seemed to be in quite a rush, not wanting Alia to be led astray. Finding her legs asleep, she lagged behind, utilizing the wall and a few pillars for support. 

"Wow." She breathed, taking in the gaping sight of Asgard that she missed so much. The blissful sound of the river flowing; it was so placid. 

It was then she realised she would do anything to return home. No matter the cost.

 

**** 

The two sentinels stared down at the both of them with polite smiles, as they gracefully moved out the way. As she walked into the dungeons, she got a good view of some of the prisoners. Creatures and ages of all kinds, something she wasn't foreign to. She heard of Loki's attacks on Midgard a couple years ago. In all honesty, she was surprised he was still alive. 

"I'll leave you here, his cell is down the stairs to your right, you can't miss it." Frigga explicated. 

Alia bowed respectively, to which Frigga nodded back. 

"I'll fetch you later, as I mentioned, Odin has topics to discuss with you." She culminated, and with that, she left. 

She turned around to meet the stairs, hesitantly ambulating down them. Frigga held her word; Loki's cell was not easy to miss, it being well adorned and, well, massive. 

Loki sensed her presence, hoisting his head up from his book, but not turning to meet her. He was perched against the corner of his cell, his legs stretching. He was wearing simple green and black Asgardian robes, his armour missing, that were carefully fitted and costly.

"And who has graced me with their presence?" He dragged, mordacity dripping from his words. 

"Uh, Alia. Been a while. Surprise, I guess." Alia greeted, venturing up to the cell, not daring to physically touch it. The guard visibly tensed at her proximity, warning her with his stare not to come in contact with it. She nodded in understanding, as Loki whipped his head around with a strained face; he looked displeased. 

"You were most likely expecting your mother, sorry for the disappointment." 

"It could have been worse." He exculpated her, flipping a page on his thick book. 

Alia hummed in agreement. He eyed her cautiously, he didn't seem to trust her. That was understandable, due to the untouched history between them. 

"You don't look pleased to see me." Alia chucked. Loki raised his eyebrows, he took a sharp breath and pressed his lips together.

"I did not expect visitors, that is all." He explained, breaking eye contact to close his book. Briefly, there was silence as Loki returned his book to the shelf, staying upright, back facing her. He was uninterested, his mind drifting off, infrequently giving Alia glances over his shoulder as his fingers grazed over the book spines. 

"Do you know why I'm here?" She questioned.

"To displease me? It's certainly working." 

"No." She said firmly, letting out a sigh, "we're going to be bound together."

Loki paused, before letting his eyebrows drop. There was a tense silence between them as he walked closer to her, staring her down. 

"Whatever for?" He said underneath his breath, letting his hoarse voice run wild. Weirdly, the quieter his voice, the scarier he was. 

"You know, for Thor's hammer." She said weakly. 

Loki frowned, confused. "You don't know?" She asked. 

"Of course I know girl, I'm trying to figure out why I would need the likes of you." Alia stopped speaking, trying not to be offended by his comment.

"Lady Alia." A booming voice interrupted her from the stairs. She turned her head from Loki to see the source of the voice. Recognising the guard from earlier, she greeted him with a smile as he approached her, one he did not return.

"Odin requests your presence immediately."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How you enjoyed chapter two- I have another 5 or 6 chapters to post, but I have yet to actually finish the fanfiction.   
> My writing gets better as the book progresses, I promise. In all honesty, I was rushing through these scenes as they aren't that interesting to read. Hopefully, it'll get better. Also, apologies for any pronoun mistakes, it was originally written in the first person perspective...  
> :)


	3. Heritage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alia and Odin talk...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This FanFic is going to pretend that only the royal family (and Loki) know of his true parentage and him being a frost giant.  
> Okay, thats all.... :)

"The King wishes to speak to you alone." The guard explained, leaving her outside the massive gates leading into the throne room. It was a lot more detailed then she remembered, the gold cleaner, the lines more defined- it looked entirely different now she analysed it.

She heard the guard shut the door with a heavy slam, leaving her to awkwardly shift between feet, awaiting to be called in.

"Do I...?" Alia trailed off, reminding herself that no one was there to hear her mindless questions.

She had never been called to Odin alone, it was a new experience for her. Technically, her being there was illegal, considering her banishment. Being illegal, she should therefore be in chains, so she was rather confused on why she was roaming free.

As Alia was lost in her thoughts, the large doors started to open, revealing the golden throne room. Golden pillars aligned mirroring each other, the throne, with all its glory, placed in the centre, beckoning her forward.

"Alia." His booming voice spoke, it was calm and collected, surprising her. Her eyes found his, he was smiling lightly, the golden staff he bore resting in his left hand.

His smile irritated her, and she felt herself frowning just at the sight of him.

"Odin." Alia replied curtly. She didn't want to bow, so she gently nodded to him. 

He rested himself on his grand golden throne, leaning back, anticipating her subtle attitude to him. Alia strutted slowly to him, refusing to kneel, turning her head to the side. 

"You summoned me." Alia stated the obvious, gawking at the decorations, seemingly calm. She was in no position to show fear, not with her pride.

"I did." He voiced, his hand finding his grey beard, stroking it in thought. He took a deep breath, analysing her form. 

"I see you have... adjusted to life outside of Asgard." He stated, referring to her tattered clothes, which was nothing in comparison to Asgard's style.

The side talk was trivial and unneeded, and she was keen to get it over and done with.

"So? What have you called me for? To mock?" She voiced.

"I would do no such thing." He boomed, furrowing his brows, he wasn't angry, but confused by her assumption.

She scoffed,  
"Talk to me about the situation. Convince me."

Odin paused, not knowing how to proceed.

"Well?" She pushed on, after a few moments of silence.

"Thor's hammer has gone missing or rather, to put it simply, stolen." He said, a strained look stretched across his face as he took a sharp breath. 

"Someone else is worthy?" She asked, genuinely curious. 

"Evidently so, there are methods unknown to us that they have used. Thor's hammer does not respond to him, meaning it must be coated in some dark magic." Odin explained carefully.

Without Thor's hammer, although Asgard has its defences, it leaves the realm in serious danger. Thor struggles to fight without it, being his main weapon, and means Asgard and the people that inhabit it will fall vulnerable to neighbouring realms. Once they know the thunder God is without it, nothing's stopping the Giants from invading- with Odin so weary and old, it will be an easy overthrow.

"That's a shame." She teased. 

Odin raised a brow, wondering why she wasn't delighted at the task... a chance to call Asgard home again.

"Has my son brought up the reward?" He asked, shifting in his position on the throne. 

"He has. I just question your desperation. From all the creatures in the nine realms you could of contacted, you came to me. A common soldier; a traitor; a lost soul, in many ways." Alia let out a breathy laugh, "You claim that everyone else you have asked have denied the opportunity. Which is very understandable, considering the circumstances. But Asgard is perfectly capable of holding people against their will." Alia paused, narrowing her eyes at Odin.

"You've came to me for a reason. This mission requires something from me, what is it?" She asked, surprisingly calm.

Odin halted, breaking down her deduction. "This isn't a 'mission', it's a command from your King." He carefully avoided.

Alia scowled, shaking her head lightly at his statement.  
"Your King? As far as I'm concerned you haven't been my King for 8 years!" She spat, anger suddenly reaching her voice.

Odin grunted, "That was on the fault of your behalf."

Alia found herself choking on her words, realising the truth in his sentence.

Odin gave her a sad smile, before redirecting himself to the previous point.

"This task requires nothing specific from you. Given the circumstances and who'll you'll be travelling with, its best you accompany him. You know information others lack which will make the procedure run smoother." Odin explained.

Alia hesitantly nodded, grasping why she was chosen. 

"You are to locate Thor's stolen hammer within the season- bound to Loki for your protection, and when asked, do not utter a word about it. No one can know." He stated, raising his finger.

The people of Asgard had yet to realise the mighty Thor was missing his iconic weapon. It seemed only royalty and those close to him knew the truth.

"I would advise looking in the land of the Giants, they would most likely be our culprit." 

"What's stopping us both from leaving?" She questioned, out of nowhere, wondering what a bound would achieve.

"This is a risk, but it will test how badly you wish your banishment to be lifted, Alia." He said sternly, his finger lightly brushing his golden ring.

"Is this reward true?" She asked, wanting some kind of clarification.

"I have sworn an oath to Draupnir and Gungnir; the mightiest of oaths, it is unbreakable." Odin assured.

"Alright. So I look after Loki until he finds the hammer, correct?" Alia questioned, realising her worth in the situation.

"However you wish to put it. Loki won't kill you knowing it will take his life as well, you are safe." Odin assured her.

Alia nodded. She had nothing against Loki, but she wasn't sure Loki would feel the same back. 

She knew of his heritage, and it was a matter of how comfortable Loki was with someone he barely knew knowing that factor.

"He may be the God of Mischief, but he won't find a way out of this one." A light smirk graced Odin's features, knowing how true his words are.

Alia was less then happy, even if the reward would make it worth it. The 'bound ' method was often used to couples who were courting to 'test there love', of course this wasn't the case at all. She was essentially babysitting Loki, making sure he doesn't trot off.

"I am not his mother." She retorted.

"I would certainly hope not." He replied hastily, ascending from his chair down the steps. "You are to set off tomorrow. I will bound you two early morning. It is a quick ritual and shan't take much time." He continued, turning slightly to address her.

"That soon?" 

"I'm afraid so. We cannot waste anymore time." 

Odin held out his hand, surprising her. Hesitantly, she shook it.

"Don't fail me, Alia."


	4. A Charmer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Alia have a proper discussion.

"This is going to be harder then I planned."  
He whispered, as he impatiently walked back and forth. Despite the hushed voice, his servant heard every word perfectly. He was perched against the balcony in a dimly lit room, eyeing his master cautiously.

The servant knew how he treated his underlings and was determined not to succumb to his abuse or sudden bursts of outrage. The servant thought logically, if he did nothing but tell the truth, he would avoid any conflict with his master.

So, that is what he sought to do.

"It is indeed."  
The servant agreed, fastening his sharp knives into the straps on his legs. The cloak he wore was black and dripped over his wide shoulders, his face making a rare appearance; he would be punished if it did not.

"Will you have issues with this?"  
The master questioned, now raising his voice to a proper tone. He was not worried for his servant but rather the damage it would cause his plan if they failed. He would do it himself if his boss allowed him to, but he was being reserved for a future mission.

"I will be at work with my own blood brother. This will be an interesting turn of events, I can assure a show- but I cannot assure there won't be any problems, knowing my brother and his antics."  
The servant finished, an eyebrow arching anticipating his masters response. For a servant, many would consider him arrogant. But in fairness to him, he was intelligent, being gifted with a strong conscience.

However, he was born and raised on a war that their species lost, meaning his fate was already decided from birth.

A servant.

No matter your IQ.

The master nodded, it wasn't the answer he wanted but it was blatantly honest. Better then a lie that would further deepen the mess.

"I shall be off then, I wish you better, Vladin."  
The servant bowed after his words, silently waiting for his master to approve of his request to leave.

His master had requested he called him by his name on multiple occasions as they were the same species. However, unlike Vladimir, Helblindi was a part of the fallen royal family of the Jotuns, along with his infamous older brother Byleistr. This meant that they were forced into hiding, which inevitably meant being servants to other creatures and the, in this case, better off Jotuns. They would of been powerful beings, but being the weak and young children they were when their family perished during the war, meant it no longer mattered what their royal title was anymore. He now served Vladin, and he didn't dare complain.

He was uncomfortable to say the least; he was keen to start the mission and that was the excuse he would use, if it came to that. No-one he knew personally could stay within his masters presence and not feel unwelcome. It was a trait of his, giving off this creepy, unnatural vibe.

The master raised his head to signal he had heard it, but spoke nothing in return. This left the servant pondering, it was rude and in this instance dangerous to leave without the approval of your master, a fact his brother was keen to wire in his brain. So, he stood there waiting, assuming his master had more words to say.

It was silent for a few seconds and briefly the servant thought his master had fallen asleep. The servant couldn't blame him, it was quite late and the moonlight that managed to surface the room was strangely hypnotising. In reality, he was swishing around his drink, staring down into the almost empty cup.

"I've met Byleistr, your brother." The master finally voiced, sipping a liquid the servant did not recognise, the dark lighting did not help his deduction.

"You have?" He replied curtly, confusion laced in his words. He hadn't seen his older brother in years, it was possible that they had met over that period.

But over what?

The possibilities seemed endless with his brother, Byleistr. He was highly priced in the market, as he used his abilities well, for good or bad- however you wanted to view him.

His brother was also forced into hiding and thus a servant, and had worked for many different people in his lifetime so far. This proved his fallen family name to be a likeable one in that sense. Many people considered himself for hire because he shared the same blood as his brother. To Helblindi, it seemed stupid that he would be hired just because of his brothers work, but it came as a perk.

So, the possibility that his sibling had worked for his current master was not too far of a stretch, it would explain why he himself was hired so quickly.

"Yes, quite the charmer." He replied, quickly jolting his drink back, letting the last of the liquid, that he now suspected as alcohol, cleanse his throat.

A charmer? The servant thought, he had never viewed his brother in such a way. A flattering man, perhaps. Alas, he was a servant, nothing more. Much like himself.

Who knew a servant could be a charmer.

 

****

 

Alia wondered into the cellars once more. The familiar clean scent of the castle and the feel of Asgard coming back to her, finding her way easily. It admittedly felt odd to wander the halls once more.

What she couldn't understand is why Thor couldn't babysit Loki on his little adventure. Perhaps he had declined being bound with Loki (not that Odin gave Alia much of a choice) or is spending time with the midgardian Alia had heard about while silently making her way through the dining hall. Perhaps Asgard couldn't afford his absence, who knew.

Either way, he wasn't coming.

It sounds bad on his behalf considering it's his hammer in the first place, and is the only one that Alia knows that can lift it. 

Neither Alia or Loki can wield Mjolnir, so it wouldn't be a task of retrieving it but rather locating it, as Odin mentioned. But even then, the King himself didn't even know how it was stolen, assuming it was some dark magic. They are truly after the unknown.

In a way, she could see why Odin decided, or rather agreed, to her and Loki fetching it. If they died doing so, he would lose nothing. If anything, he would have a free prison cell.

Alia nodded respectfully at the guards who didn't bother to pay two glances at her, how it's different when you are accompanied with Frigga, she thought.

She ambulated down the stairs, not knowing how he would react. Perhaps he would be happy? Away from the prison cells for once.

Alia glanced at Loki's cell to see him tossing a black chalice in the air, sprawled out on his bed. What struck her the most was how calm and sane he seemed, considering half of the prisoners had gone completely of the tracks and either fighting with one another or staring into nothingness.

Loki caught the cup, keeping his arm raised as he turned his head slightly to the stairwell, sensing someone was there, but not enough to see the visitor.

She was quiet, admiring his laid back, relaxed form. Alia was reluctant to take a step further, still gathering how she was going to phrase the mission to him in a way to sound appealing.  
The silence was almost painful. Any normal visitor would of came forward by now, this making Loki tense, mistaking Alia for another woman.

"Mother?" He hesitantly called out, anticipating a reply.  
The tone he used was soft and some would argue vulnerable. Alia wondered how long it had been since Loki had seen his mother, she had never heard him speak to someone with such care. It almost sounded desperate, as if calling that word out would magically morph Alia into the woman Loki wanted to see again so urgently.

Alia took a deep breath, feeling guilty to state that she was not the All-mother.

"Once more, sorry to disappoint." Alia said, hearing Loki let out a sigh, recognising her voice. He dropped his hand to his side.

He got up from his bed, walking towards the golden barrier, straightening his clothes as he did so. His hands met behind him, he raised his head, silently calling her forward. Despite this, Alia remained at the staircase, staring at Loki's powerful stance, undoubtably intimidated. Something unnerved her, knowing she would be bound in no more then 12 hours to the God, and even worse, the God Of Mischief.

As she pondered, she made eye contact with Loki, who looked confused as ever to see her again.

"Back so soon?" He asked, almost playfully, raising his brows. Alia finally walked towards the barrier, squinting her eyes at the brightly lit cell.

"It appears so." Alia replied bluntly, staring back at Loki with a straight face.

He flashed her a look of amusement, "What was the outcome? How come I don't have the pleasure of seeing you locked up in chains? You are banished, after all. Your presence here is an offence."

She scoffed at his final remark.  
"Blame Odin." 

"Oh dear." Loki began sarcastically, raising a hand to his chin,  
"You don't seem to be in the best of moods."

"I don't think you will be either, considering your previous reaction." She said curtly, seeing Loki's expression morph into one of curiosity.

He took a deep breath.  
"Enlighten me, girl." He whispered, again hoarsely.

"I will have to retrieve the hammer, with you. As I briefly mentioned before." Alia explained, bringing her hand to her temple, rubbing it soothingly.

Loki hummed.

"And we are to be bound. As you also know."

Loki hummed again.

Alia gulped,  
"By tomorrow." She finished.

There was a brief moment of silence. She didn't dare search for his face.

"Ah, now I see why you're in such a foul mood." He muttered.

"Shut up." Alia said weakly, a sigh following.

Loki let out his own breath as well, taking a few steps back.

"Is there any further detail?" The God inquired, appearing monotone.

"We will be travelling to Jotunheim." She finally met his eye, trying to search for any familiar reaction.

"I see. Now I know why you are required." He trailed off, keeping the eye contact.

Alia nodded.

"What has he offered you?" He continued, again, showing no emotion.

"This time, he has guaranteed my place back on Asgard." She stated, hearing Loki tut. "He has sworn oaths, it cannot be broken. I refuse to be fooled by the likes of him."

He hummed again, he seemed occupied, searching her eyes. In fairness, she returned the action, both trying to uncover each other at the same time.

Alia cocked a brow, confused by his lack of reaction.

"So, is that it? You're not worried about being bound or anything?" Alia asked, she thought that Loki would react worse then she did. Loki would finally have a touch of freedom, but it will be snatched away as quickly as it was granted. That would be daunting for her.

Loki smirked at her,  
"If it was to the likes of Thor, then yes, but with you..." He paused, looking Alia up and down,  
"I can have a little fun." He mocked, making Alia feel cold at all the possible ways Loki could harm her, or at least annoy her.

"Fantastic." Alia said sarcastically, taking a harsh deep breath, waiting to wake up from this nightmare.

Loki had already grown tired of the talk, he had a long night of planning ahead of him.  
"So, until tomorrow." Loki pressed, nodding towards her. 

"Until tomorrow." Alia echoed, turning to leave.

She walked quickly to the stairs, not wanting to look back at Loki, already knowing he still had his eye on her.

This was going to be an adventure, an interesting one at that.


	5. The Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One chalice, two victims.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my favourite chapter :)

The Jotun dismounted his horse and stared at his fallen home. Many villages still found refuge in the aftermath of the war, but the numbers were scarce. Although he was a prince in the land, albeit a fallen one, he kept his face covered with his black hood.

He stood only at 6'8, which was generally small for a Jotun and especially small for a potential future king.

As he walked barefoot along the icy path, he stole glances from homeless Jotuns, who perched against walls. It wasn't often they saw a man with a horse, which meant wealth, so naturally they stared at him with curiosity.

Hesitantly, Helblindi nodded back at the homeless creatures in a way of stating that he came in peace, and that he meant no harm.

His crimson eyes were drawn to the weak children that were skinny to the bone. He thought about getting them food to eat, but decided against it. He was here to do one thing and one thing only. If he got distracted, he would pay.

 

****

 

Alia woke up early, and was already dreading the long day ahead. She was staying in one of the many guest rooms in the royal palace, with luxury beds, yet she still struggled to sleep. The room was well adorned and spacious, but Alia didn't care for the quality. Her mind was busy contemplating the bound she would undergo in no more then one hour.

Many guards surrounded the openings to her room to stop her from making a getaway before the bound. To be blunt, Alia felt trapped. Her breakfast was served to her in her temporary chambers, and the basic bread she received told her she wasn't welcome in Asgard. Admittedly, it wasn't the worst place to be held captive in, considering she could of easily been thrown into a magic cell, like Loki. Alia was sure it was lucky for him to receive 3 meals a day, let alone decent ones. So, she considered herself lucky in that aspect.

Alia pondered if Loki deserved the harsh punishment he received for the invasion on Midgard; she was conflicted about it. Being locked away from society and being restricted to only a few meters, with nothing but an over-read book to entertain yourself, was not appealing in the slightest to her. Alia was sure that if she was in Loki's position she would of asked for the axe, perhaps he had. She knew he wouldn't want her pity, so she stopped dwelling on the thought.

Alia sat at the end of her bed, the sheets were plain white and the whole room lacked decoration. In an odd way, it calmed her nerves.

She wondered if Loki was nervous, just like she was. He was an unpredictable person as he rarely expressed his emotions, and him being nervous was something she struggled to imagine.

While she was lost in her thoughts, she was rudely interrupted.

"Lady Alia, the Allfather requests your presence." She heard a harsh, muffled voice call out behind the door, alongside two solid knocks.

She turned her head to the door and took her time in replying. This procedure would link there minds together, and any trouble Loki got in would cause her to suffer the same consequence. It wasn't something she was exactly keen in doing, but at this point it seemed compulsory. 

"Coming." She said weakly, taking a few deep breaths. This would be her last few moments of freedom, before her thoughts would be invaded by the infamous Loki.

She finally arose, slowly. She wore her old training gear that had somehow not been sold off in the years she had been gone. She wondered who would have bothered to reserve her clothes, but it left her mind as soon as it came. Her golden chest plate and armour glowed in contrast to her black undershirt, which was long sleeved, warm and was quite a comfortable fit. After all, anything would be better then the smelly clothing she had been camping in for the past couple years.

She walked towards the entrance and turned the knob to open the now unlocked door. She came face to face with two emotionless guards.

"Follow us." They said in unison, swiftly turning to their right and gesturing her to follow. Hesitantly she did, her feet dragging along the marble floor.

 

****

 

She found herself outside an unfamiliar room. They had taken an unknown route to her. The castle was massive so it didn't really surprise her that there was another part she had yet to discover.

The entrance were two small wooden doors that lacked design and stood out against the dimly lit corridor. Asgard was usually decorated head to toe with gold or some other expensive material, but this door seemed simple and ordinary.

The guards stood behind Alia, waiting patiently to be called in. She stood there awkwardly, feeling the back of her neck. She was unsure if she was mentally or physically ready for the bound and the journey ahead, but it would occur anyway, and that was something she struggled to comprehend.

After what seemed like a century, she finally heard a faint bang from the inside of the room. It sounded like Odin's staff, but it was so quiet she couldn't be sure. She felt the guards move forward, so she took that as a hint to enter.

She gently pushed the door open and was instantly hit with dust, causing her to cough. As she waved away the dust, she glanced up to see how tall the room really was, she even struggled to see a roof. The room was lit by candle and had no fancy-pancy magic lights, showing how long ago the room must of been constructed.

In the centre stood Odin, with his spear in his hand. In front of him was a small wooden surface, in Midgard they would of called it a beside table. But, what interested her was the single golden chalice that stood in the centre of it, with candles aiding light either side of it.

"Alia, come forward." Odin spoke slowly. 

"Do you need me to go over the plan?" He questioned, eyeing Alia carefully.

"It wasn't really a plan, but no." She countered.

Odin ignored her harsh comment and turned to the right, in which she realised there was another door.

"Let the prisoner in." He raised his voice, so the men on the other side would hear.

After a brief few seconds, the old wooden door started to open, revealing another two guards. Following shortly after them, was Loki.

He had chains around his hands, restricting him from doing anything dangerous.

His eyes flickered up to Alia's and he smirked at her, as she shifted awkwardly under his gaze.

"Come forth, Loki." Odin commanded, and Loki followed. Alia stood to the left of Odin, while Loki stood to the right. This way, they were opposite one another, with the chalice between them.

"You both know your limits and your desires," Odin commenced, turning his head frequently, so he addressed both of them.

"It appears this ordeal will test those so called limitations, and what you want back so desperately." Odin continued, eyeing Alia as he said those words.

Loki remained silent, looking at Odin with a mischievous glint in his eye, per usual.

Alia's focus however, was to the golden chalice centred in the middle. She had never seen or undergone one of these procedures before, and therefore didn't know what to expect.

"It will discover what you love, and what you despise so greatly. If one of you fall, may it be at the hands of our culprit or of one another, then neither of you will have the privilege of returning to Asgard." Odin sternly explained, rather slowly, his lines replaying back in Alia's mind.

"Do I make myself clear?" He finished, and Alia merely replied with a curt nod. Meanwhile, Loki spoke.

"You have, dearest father." He teased, a chuckle forming underneath his breath.

"Don't push your chances Loki, any schemes you have thought of are doomed to fail." Odin replied, not a worried thought in sight.

Odin dug his hands underneath the table, while addressing Loki.

"Now, Loki you may go first." Odin turned to him, revealing a knife.

Alia's eyes widened, questioning why they had a knife in the first place, and why it was in the hands of Loki.

"I don't think handing Loki a weapon is a good decision." Alia voiced nervously, watching as the guards un-cuffed him. When they discarded his handcuffs, he let out a sigh, stretching out his hands. Odin then cautiously handed him the weapon while Alia watched, now on edge.

"It is necessary for the procedure." Loki smoothly replied with a chuffed smile, knowing full well that Alia had never witnessed one of these bounds before.

Odin looked at her confused,   
"You do know how these bounds undergo, correct?"

Alia stood there awkwardly, attempting to explain herself.  
"Well- I mean. Sometimes. I've never-" She stuttered. She looked up at Loki to see him smirking, and that caused her to lose her train of thought.

"No." She admitted, staring back down at the chalice.

Odin sighed once more, undoubtedly annoyed by Alia.

"Loki, demonstrate." Odin commanded.

This made Alia look up once more at Loki, watching him skilfully draw blood from his fingertip. She looked at him curiously, as Odin brought the cup to Loki's hands. Loki then squeezed the blood out of the cut, watching it seep into the chalice. After a few seconds of this, Loki withdrew, being handed a white hanker-chief. He gently rubbed his finger into the white cloth, now stained with his crimson coloured blood. Loki rubbed his thumb against his finger, gently feeling the cut. 

Alia looked at Odin terrified, not because she had to draw blood, but rather what they were going to do with the blood.

"Your turn." Loki spoke teasingly, outstretching the weapon to her.

"Um...." she muttered, looking up at Odin for some kind of approval.

He merely nodded at her, urging her to pick up the knife.

She hesitantly did, her hands grabbing the knife handle, brushing her skin with Loki's. Loki made sure the weapon was firmly in her hands before letting go of the knife completely.

Alia examined the weapon, analysing the intricate designs on the handle. This was no ordinary knife, evidently.

She inched the sharp blade to her fingers, holding her breath. Alia let the knife glide against her fingertip with a sharp sting, as she withheld the hiss. Blood started to trickle out, as she saw the chalice underneath her being held by Odin. She squeezed her finger so more blood seeped out into the chalice, and she tried not to think too much about it. Eventually, she pulled back to see her blood was now in the mist of Loki's.

She was clearly nervous, not knowing what to expect from this. Alia almost forgot about the cut, until the same white handkerchief Loki had used was presented in front of her. Loki's blood was obviously still there, so she used the other side of the cloth. She gently dabbed her finger against the material, wiping her finger clean.

Everyone was silent, as she looked nervously around her, wondering what step was next.

Finally, Odin broke the uncomfortable silence.  
He raised his hands over the cup, muttering incoherent or foreign words over the chalice. She took a step back, only to be met by a firm hand pushing Alia back, the hand belonging to a guard.

She glanced at Loki, who for once held a straight face which in no way matched her worried one.

Eventually he stopped his chanting, and stepped back, looking at Loki expectingly.   
He simply nodded in return.

Loki picked up the chalice and raised it to his lips. Alia's eyes widened, realising what he was going to do.

He gently tipped the cup so some of the mixed blood poured into his throat. Almost immediately he stopped, swallowing the blood.

Loki handed the chalice to Alia, again being careful in handing it to her. He turned the chalice around so she would be drinking from another side.

"Should I have the rest?" Alia weakly asked, staring down into the small pool of blood.

"Yes." Loki replied immediately, continuing to eye her.

She took the chalice from his hands and raised it to her lips, hesitantly. She sniffed the blood, a metallic smell filling her nose.

Alia then closed her eyes as she forcefully drank the rest of the blood.

She quickly swallowed, not wanting to properly taste the liquid.

She then sat the chalice back down in the middle of the table, coughing awkwardly.

Alia waited for something to happen, yet the feeling never came. If anything, she felt sick.

"Leave them." Odin commanded, as the guards exited the room upon his words.

Odin stared at Alia, nodding respectfully.

"We'll only be outside the room." Was the words he left with, closing the large wooden doors.

Alia turned to Loki, half expecting something to happen.

"So, what now?" She asked, looking at Loki for an answer.

"We wait for the bound to take effect." He replied simply, his eyes not leaving hers.

"How will we know when it has?"

"We will black out, to awaken only minutes later bounded together. You have been told the rest." Loki explained, walking round the small table so he was next to her.

"By black out, you mean faint?" Alia continued to question.

"That would be correct. It depends on who will faint first. Since you have never undergone one of these before, you are likely to fall first." Loki explained, leaning on the table.

Loki was evidently well educated on the topic, which was the case for most things anyway.  
It led Alia to believe that Loki had been part of, or at least witnessed, one of these bounds.

"You've undergone one of these before?" Alia inquired, caught up on his words.

"Yes, many." He replied with a smirk, which left Alia pondering on when those events occurred.

Oddly, his mysterious nature drew her to him. So dark and secretive, it left her wanting to discover more.

Alia looked down to her fingers, and specifically the small cut, and pondered about the words Odin spoke. She let out a sigh, growing impatient. She scratched her forehead, starting to tap her foot.

"Roughly how long will it take for this so called 'black out' to happen?" She questioned, looking up at the high ceiling.

"Any second now." Loki replied, looking at her through the corner of his eyes. He too was growing impatient and bored, but he knew the feeling would not last long.

This shut Alia up as she anticipated for something, anything, to occur.

A few seconds went by with nothing happening, before Alia decided to speak up again.

"This is taking its time, isn't-" Alia stopped abruptly, suddenly feeling extremely light.

A loud high pitched sound hit her ears, so she instantly went to grasp them. She hissed loudly, which caused Loki to whip his head around to face her.

She already hated loud noises, so this further deepened her loathing.

"Stay calm." Loki guided her, as she now felt her vision blurring.

Her hand found his shoulder, and she gripped it harshly. Loki grunted at her harsh grip, not that Alia heard anyway.

She continued to hiss in pain, before she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Alia tried to stay upright, naturally fighting the feeling off.

"Let it happen." Loki whispered to her. By now, half of her weight was on Loki, as she could no longer keep herself up.

Before long, she had fainted in his arms. Loki sighed, gently setting her down on the floor. Soon after, he started feeling the affects.

Loki stumbled back, hitting the table. He then started to groan in pain. Loki had experienced this before, but it never failed to hurt.

He slowly slid down to the floor, his back against the table leg. Loki started to pant heavily, before losing consciousness completely. Peacefully perched next to where Alia was laying.


	6. Departure

The Jotun walked along the rotting corridor. The castle had been abandoned ever since the war, so it was still unusual for him to see the castle in such a destroyed state.

Memories of his childhood flooded into him, but he tried his best not to linger on them. He just knew if he brought these thoughts up to his brother, he would do nothing but laugh. All his family had been sold off as slaves and only saw each other through either luck or pure chance, and had minimal contact. Therefore, any arranged meeting between his family members was unheard of. 

He stumbled into what would of been a meeting room to discuss battle techniques and formations. He cringed at the smell, already knowing that it wasn't the room, but his foul smelling brother.

"Oh my. Do you even bathe, brother?" Helblindi snorted, pinching his nose.

Byleistr turned around upon hearing his voice, and raised his hands.

"Helblindi!" The jotun smiled happily at his brothers entrance, and reached for a manly hug.

Helblindi held up a hand,   
"Please, no touching." He explained, scanning his taller frame. He stepped back getting a second whiff of his foul odour.

His brother frowned,   
"What ever is up with you?"

Helblindi scoffed, crossing his hands over his chest.  
"I refuse to even touch you until you wash, does your master not allow you to?" He asked in disbelief, thinking how someone could live smelling like...that.

Byleistr shrugged,   
"You've got it easy, you have a jotun, old Vladin, as your master. You fail to realise that not many of our kind have the privilege of washing, food or sleep. You seem to have forgotten the term of 'slavery', Brother." He ranted, his smile quickly fading.

Helblindi sighed, silently agreeing with his words.

"Now we've got boring greetings out of our way and we have met at the meeting point, we must move if we want to stop them." Byleistr explained, brushing past his younger brother.

Helblindi pursed his lips as he wanted to rest after such a long journey. He spoke nothing however, considering what his brother said moments ago. He couldn't let Vladin down. If they did, they would be digging their own graves.

 

****

 

Alia's head was pounding violently.

She tried to subdue the pain, but it was to no success. She felt different, a tingling feeling coursing through her body.

Due to the worsening headache, she groaned softly. She brought a hand to her hair and harshly slicked it back. Alia's vision was extremely blurry as she lifted herself up with her elbows. She squinted her eyes and slowly looked around, slowly realising she was in the same room as before.

"You've awoken." An old man spoke.

"Ah," she paused, groaning at the sound, "shut the fuck up." She muttered. Odin's voice was the last thing she wanted to hear when waking up.

She heard someone withhold a laugh in the room, and she dizzily turned to the left, seeing Loki as her culprit. She narrowed her eyes at his smirk.

"That applies to you as well." She sneered, feeling the back of her head.

Loki merely grinned wider, folding his arms in front of his torso. He was still perching against the table, his long legs stretched out and crossed. Loki's attention was drawn to the wall in-front if him, quickly losing interest in Alia.

"I would watch your mouth. Speaking profanity is not ideal nor approved of where you are heading." Odin explained sternly, looking down at her sitting form.

"Where are we heading? Sorry, I can't seem to remember."

"What's left of Jötunheimr." Loki answered, seeming a bit salty and agitated. Of course he would be, it's his birthplace.

Odin started speaking to the guards, and Alia quickly got distracted.

She glanced down to her hands, noticing a thick, tight and golden ring wrapped around her finger. Alia looked at it curiously, not remembering putting it on nor owning it.

[It's our bound ring]

Loki's soothing voice spoke, causing Alia to jump out of her skin.

"What the-" She breathed, lifting a hand to her chest.

Odin took a sharp glance at Loki to which he shrugged, playing innocent.

Loki held up his pale hand to reveal the same ring, additionally tight around his long and slender finger.

[See, I have one too.]

He spoke, a smile playing at his lips.   
Alia frowned, knowing that this was going to be her life for at least 3 months.

"The ring was formed prior to the procedure. It's proof of your bound and is trapped to your skin." Odin began, as Alia analysed her finger. She could see the redness around the ring due to how tight it was, but it was tricky as the room was lit with low light. She could feel a light burning on her skin under the ring, but it was barely noticeable nor painful.

"It cannot be removed from your finger, I'll tell you that now." Odin finished. Alia glanced up at the elderly king.

"Whats stopping me from cutting my finger off? That will remove the ring." Alia bitterly voiced, clearly catching Odin off guard by her suggested painful method.

"Remember, the ring is only proof of the bound. If you removed your finger then you would still be bound to the prisoner." Odin replied, glancing between the two.

Loki continued to look forward with an expressionless face. He didn't seem overly fond of the unwilling and unwanted adventure the two were about to share. Of course, being a prisoner and all, he was in no position to protest. Odin viewed Loki as a tool to fix Asgard's upcoming problems. At this point, it was all Odin saw in him. All hope in redemption had been quickly washed away by the attack on Midgard, and it seemed he would never be forgiven for the actions.

"Now, you are both dressed appropriately, I see no point in delaying this any further. It is already an urgent matter. Retrieve, or at least attempt to locate, Thor's hammer before it becomes nothing more but a myth." Odin spoke sternly, as Alia started to get up.

Loki remained on the floor, smiling lightly as all eyes dropped to his unmoving form.

[You heard the cue, pretty boy.]

Alia hissed, her face hardening as she thought her sentence. Alia continued to stare impatiently at Loki, watching his smirk grow wider at her choice of words.

"You think I'm pretty?" Loki spoke aloud, calmly asking Alia. She couldn't tell if he was offended by the femininity, or just playing along. This caused Odin to frown towards her. Alia stood there in shock and quickly flushed red in embarrassment.

"It's a phrase- this is out of context- okay, let-" Alia stuttered, trying desperately to explain her point. "It was a threat- I wasn't complimenting him, I was trying to um-, well, uh."

"I've heard enough." Odin promptly cut Alia off as she awkwardly shuffled between her feet, running a hand through her hair anxiously.

Loki merely chuckled, his chest heaving up and down gently as he did so, glancing up at Alia amused. Alia quickly grew tired of his laughter as she didn't like to be ridiculed.

She caught his eye and scowled,  
"Get up." She snarled, annoyed.

Loki huffed lazily as he finally got to his feet, Alia taking a step back at how tall he actually was. Loki sighed as he stretched his arms out and groaned lightly under his breath, Alia not being able to look away from him.

[Are you quite done admiring me?]

She felt his words vibrate through her head, echoing around her. Alia scoffed under her breath, for her staring wasn't under that nature. At least she didn't think it was.

Alia didn't bother in replying, as she swiftly turned away from him. She made eye contact with Odin, and hastily nodded. Alia knew she wasn't ready for this, but delaying it would just make the situation harder to solve.

"If the prisoner is quite done wasting our time, then I will escort you to the bi-frost." Odin spoke calmly, as Alia felt Loki's presence behind her.

Loki must of nodded, as a satisfied sigh left Odin's lips.

"Then follow me." 

 

****

 

Heimdall stood proud, his hands on his sword. "Greetings." He spoke emptily, void of all emotion.

Alia nodded back respectfully, bowing ever so slightly. She, in some aspects, idolised Heimdall for the work that he did for Asgard.

"Greetings to you, fair Heimdall." She spoke faintly, finding it rather odd to be speaking in such a manner again.

Years of adopting slang in taverns had taken a toll on her. 

Loki did nothing, I suppose a man like him needed no introduction. Alia saw it as rude, but she doubted that Heimdall cared for his manners.

Alia walked around the centre of the dome, already knowing the routine, admiring the pattern on the marble floor. Loki followed her, standing by her side as they prepared for their trip.

She pushed back the memories of her banishment, the last time she stepped foot on the bi-frost. If Alia caved into self-pity she would lose focus, something she was determined to avoid.

"Be wary, stay alert." Odin began, nodding to Heimdall. This short cue caused Heimdall to twist the sword. Alia didn't look back, she didn't want to see Asgard for possibly the last time.

"And don't die." Is the words Alia and Loki left with.


	7. Drinks and Elves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Alia land in different places...

Alia's feet hit hard ice. She stumbled, and eventually fell back on her butt. She cursed under her breath, and hissed in pain. Thankfully, the ice didn't crack.

She hesitantly looked around, slowly picking herself up from the cold ice. It was hard for her to find balance, but she did eventually.

"Loki?" She called out, noticing his absence.

No answer.

Alia's feet found snow; she did not want to linger on the ice any longer in fear of falling under the ice. She stretched her legs, remaining calm. He can't be far away.

[Loki?]

She asked in her mind, knowing full well that Loki could hear her.

Again, an answer was lacking.

She huffed loudly. He couldn't be injured as she felt no pain on her body. It was reassuring at best, but it didn't help the fact that she had practically lost him.

Her teeth chattered at the cold temperature. She cursed herself for not wearing warmer clothes, but it was too late to go back and grab a coat.

"Hello?" Alia shouted, her voice echoing throughout the realm. She sighed, her voice seemingly looping on forever.

"Anyone!!?" She shouted once more, strain in her voice. Again, her voice echoed out, and she groaned in annoyance.

There were no footprints or blood for her to follow, so her only conclusion was that he fell off the Bi-frost at one point, and landed in a different spot.

Not wanting to waste time, she set off in a random direction, hoping she would find signs of Loki.

 

****

 

"...And then, I let go!" Loki joked, laughing with the drunk creatures.

He had stumbled across travelling light elves, seemingly hunting for lost treasures or resources from the aftermath of the war. These type of elves crafted weapons for Asgard and other realms, and were skilled with their work.

Too drunk to recognise the infamous trickster, they offered him plenty of drinks and food which Loki happily accepted.

He had fallen in a different spot to Alia, which was not unusual when travelling with the bi-frost. He had heard Alia's pleads but a simple spell solved that issue. As long as she didn't get herself into trouble or get hurt, he would be fine. After all, they were in the same realm, she would find him eventually. There was no rush for Loki.

"You have quite the range of stories, are any of them fabricated?" One of the elves asked, hesitant to believe Loki's words. He charmingly smiled, feeling quite chuffed with himself.

"I would never lie." Loki assertively said, placing a gloved hand over his heart. "I only speak truth, I assure you." He finished, smirking.

Loki knew it was easy to trick elves, especially when drunk.

"Seems legitimate." One of them mumbled against the bar counter, if you could even call it that. It was merely two poorly constructed wooden planks stacked on top of each other, with empty glasses piled everywhere. They were in some kind of cabin, which also looked like it was built by the same foolish hands and tools. They had clearly made the building whilst intoxicated.

The other elves hummed in agreement, and went back to drinking.

A few moments passed, as more and more drinks were chugged down. Loki refrained from drinking anymore. He was far from a light drinker, but even being slightly drunk would be a bad move on his part. Loki did not trust the foolish elves to fight for him if he was too intoxicated to defend himself.

Passing the time, he tapped a light rhythm on the wooden 'counter', watching the other elves discuss different women and drinks between them in amusement. Loki took little interest in their conversation, but found their slurring of speech and hiccuping entertaining.

"What did you say your name was again, fair traveler?" A rosy-cheeked, blonde elf questioned. Loki was wary of this elf, as he didn't seem as drunk as the others. The elf seemed genuinely curious, but Loki did not want to be recognised by a simple avoidable question. He elected to swerve the question, instead of lie straight through it.

"I will not tell you my name unless you tell me yours." Loki explained, cautiously. His tone was evasive, which undoubtedly nerved them. His eyes didn't leave the elf that questioned him, watching him squirm and shift awkwardly under his intimidating gaze.

Eventually the elf let out a small laugh, looking nervous and slightly frightened. The others caught on, sensing the thick tension.

"Well that's fine, we like a cautious traveler!" The elf next to Loki explained, trying to ease the situation. He went to pat Loki on the back, but quickly refrained upon meeting his piercing gaze.

Loki broke into a chuckle once the elf diverted his eyes, feeling in control.

"Good. I'm sure you get plenty of them passing here." Loki voiced jadedly, smoothly continuing.

"We do get plenty of travellers, but none with such interesting and intense stories. You're quite the rare specimen." Another elf spoke, fascinated by his intricate armour.

"I thank you, you are quite the drinkers-" Loki stopped, feeling a hard jab in his ribs. 

He hissed angrily, falling forward. Loki let out a loud groan, scrunching his face as he felt his side. There was no wound, meaning Alia had got herself injured. This caused the drunk elves to turn in confusion.

"Are you quite alright?" The blonde elf questioned anxiously, previously keeping his head down in embarrassment.

"I'm fine." He spoke gravelly, still clutching his side.

"We can tend-" The elf next to him began, only to be cut off.

"No, I'll be quite alright. I just need some air." Loki lied, stumbling over to the door. He grasped the wall on his way, in an attempt to stay steady and upright.

Eventually, his hand met the knob, and he harshly jolted it open. He stepped through the wooden door, meeting a harsh, cold and bitter breeze. 

 

****

 

"Fuck." Alia shouted loudly, feeling the ice prick her side. Her hand quickly found her source of pain, feeling blood seep through. She analysed the sharp edge that she had caught herself on, seeing her own blood cover the tip.

"Double fuck." She hissed, closing her eyes in pain. She leant against the ice cave wall, hoping her back wouldn't meet another painful icecap.

She knew that Loki must of felt it too, and that caused a wicked smile to spread across her pale face in the mist of all the pain.

It was too dark in the cave to see anything threatening, which had caused her injury, but it was shelter from the snow storm. Her hand didn't leave her wound, gently pressing, in an attempt to keep as much blood as possible from spilling out.

[Don't tell me you're dying.]

She heard the familiar voice fill her head, and briefly Alia was relieved. But, the feeling was short lived.

[Where have you been?]

She angrily asked, panting heavily from the wound.

She heard a tired sigh, followed by a hiss in pain as she moved into a more comfortable position. 

[Don't move. I feel your pain, reckless girl.]

This caused Alia to laugh bitterly at his hissy fit,  
[You deserve it, asshole.]

Alia heard him grunt and mutter insults that she didn't bother listening into.

She watched the water slowly drip down from the roof of the icy cave, admiring the view. Strangely, the harsh breeze and emptiness gave her a sense of safety.

[Where are you?]

She asked, once their panting and pain eased down. There was a while before she got a reply, and she thought that Loki had gone again.

[I shouldn't be far. Describe your surroundings.]

Loki voiced, awaiting her response.

Alia looked around, seeing nothing but ice or darkness. She stuttered a bit, being in such a bland area.

[Snow? Ice?]

She described briefly, not knowing what else to say. She knew that it would irritate Loki, but there really wasn't anything else to state.

[Ah, I've never heard of that in Jotunheimr before.]

Alia heard his hoarse and annoyed voice. She rolled her eyes at his unneeded comments, but decided not to make a scene out of it.

[I'm in a cave.]

She added on, trying to be helpful. Alia was too scared to look at the wound, so decided to just keep her hand over it until Loki finally arrived.

[Just stay where you are. I'll find you.]

Alia nodded, for once trusting Loki's word, forgetting that Loki wasn't there to see the gesture.

She felt her eyelids getting heavy. She wasn't sure if it was a result of the loss of blood or just being tired. Perhaps it was a bit of both. She couldn't tell if it was night or day in Jötunheimr, as she had never lived nor adjusted to the realm.

Eventually, she gave into the deep sleep. 

 

****

 

Loki trekked up the snow hill. His legs were weak from all the walking, but he had to reach Alia before she got herself killed. She had stopped responding to him, so he assumed she had fallen asleep.

He dug his hands into the snow, pulling himself over the top of the hill. The cold didn't affect him much, being a frost giant and all. He paused at the top, admiring the view of Jötunheimr and the clouded sky. The snow storm was evidently still ongoing and he felt the wetness of the snow on his milky skin.

Loki sighed gently, as he carefully made his way down the snow hill.

After hours of walking and clutching his side, he saw a dark cave over an icy river. He sighed in relief, hoping that it would be where Alia is resting.

He approached the cave carefully, in case his assumptions were wrong and there was some dangerous creature lurking inside. Or he was correct and Alia was perching in there, he didn't know what would be worse.

"Hello?" He called out confidently, poking his head in the cave.

Upon his voice, Loki heard a light groan as Alia twisted in her sleep. He sighed, knowing he had found the right place. Loki cursed her for being so foolish, just because you had shelter didn't mean you were safe. In jötunheimr, you must always stay alert.

He crawled into the cave, bending down next to the sleeping woman. Loki squinted his eyes, in an attempt to see better. He saw the wound, which still had her hand lightly hovering over it. Loki hovered on top of her to better examine the wound, Loki being thankful that she was asleep.

He gently lifted her hand up from the cut, and took a good look at the damage. Blood was all over her hand and the snow, but cleaning Alia up was the least of his concerns. Loki just needed to address the wound, or risk it getting infected.

As Loki was thinking he saw Alia shivering from the bitter cold. He contemplated giving her his coat, and eventually decided against it, imagining the teases Thor would give him.

He carefully placed his cold hand over the wound causing Alia to shift in her slumber. Loki enchanted a small spell to ease the pain, which caused the stinging in his side to stop. He had no bandages but he figured if he found the elves again, they could do something. Loki placed himself next to the sleeping Alia, his dagger within arms reach incase any danger came, but it wasn't reassuring enough for him. He sighed as he let his head fall back into the snow, acting as some kind of uncomfortable pillow. The amount of walking had taken a toll on him, as he felt even more tired then usual.

Loki found himself snoozing off. He twisted and turned until he found a comfortable position, and found a blissful sleep eventually.


	8. Survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Alia wake up in an awkward position.

The two brothers were knee deep in snow. Being used to the weather in jötunheimr, it didn't effect them as much as it should of done.

Their bickering continued throughout their journey, but it didn't slow them down. Their masters didn't care how they did it, as long as they found a source or at least some kind of place to start, they would be happy.

After hours of walking and constant arguing over which direction to head in, they saw a wooden shack in the distance. They excitedly ran towards it, not seeing any sign of life in ages.

When they reached the badly built shack, Helblindi and Byleistr knocked on the door, awaiting a response. After a few seconds of banging and loud noises, a drunken light elf opened the door. The same elves Loki had encountered earlier that day.

Upon seeing their deep blue skin and tall height, he shrieked and fell back. The elf was engulfed in their shadow, darkening his already drunken vision.

"How nice of you." Helblindi bitterly voiced, recognising the dwarfs. They were infamous and unpopular on jötunheimr for hunting in rural areas for treasures. Before his parents died, they had warned him of their idiocy and greediness.

The elves from the back turned around to see them, and shrieked as well. They all huddled round to each other, all looking fearful at their encounter with the lost jotuns.

"I thought the royals died!" The one closest to them spoke, slurring his speech. Helblindi scoffed at the assumption, watching in disgust as alcohol dripped down from the elves mouths. He pondered on how much the elves had consumed, eventually concluding that it was no where near a healthy amount.

"Surprise." Byleistr said gravelly, not overly fond of the reaction either.

Every word they spoke caused the Elves to shiver. They had seen jotuns before, but never dared to strike conversation or steal treasures while in their vision. They had always assumed that if they did, it would be the end of them. They weren't far from the truth.

"What do you want from us? All we have is alcohol." One at the back squeaked, clutching onto another elf.

"Evidently." Helblindi spoke with a grudge, his voice dropping an octave.

The elves shared glances, occasionally looking upon their empty drinks.

"Calm. We want directions, comply and we'll have no issues at all." Byleistr explained hastily, crossing his arms over his chest. He would go to far measures for information; anything to save his own blue, rough and scary-looking skin.

 

****

 

Alia, after a long and surprisingly peaceful sleep, woke up to a foreign hand on her side. She jumped at the coldness, her eyes following the arm to meet Loki's sleeping form. His head was resting against her right shoulder, meaning their faces were close. His arm had stretched over her stomach in order to reach the wound, consequently lying half on top of her. She wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, but she certainly didn't appreciate it.

The pain in her side had now eased, but it was certainly still there. She assumed Loki had a part to play in the easing of the pain, as why else would he be in such a position?

Loki certainly weighed a lot more then Alia. When injured, it made it even harder to use strength. No matter how hard she tried to gently push him off, it was to no success. She felt that just hitting him awake was cruel, especially after the journey he had endured.

She sighed heavily, letting her head hit the hard rock beneath her. She decided to just wait until he awoke too, and then start to move again. 

To pass time, Alia started to whistle quietly, the noise bouncing off the walls and echoing back to her. Over time, her whistling became quicker and louder. 

Loki stirred next to her, so she halted her noises. He let out a long sigh through his nose, and readjusted his head, his sleep continuing. This, consequently, meant that Loki had hauled his body closer to her warmer form.

Now, Alia was uncomfortable.

"Loki." She whispered, gently pushing against his shoulder.   
"Wake up."

Loki stirred again, groaning under his breath. He rested his head in the crook of her neck, it being warm, and sighed again. Alia was now frustrated; she didn't like to be a make-shift pillow. This time, she raised her voice.

"Loki." She spoke firmly.

Loki didn't move.

"LOKI." She practically screamed, causing Loki to jolt up at the harsh sound.

Loki's eyes were still half closed as he used his hands to lift himself up, resting on his elbows. His eyes fluttered fully open, realising his intimate position.

He jolted back against the cave wall, his eyes widening. Alia groaned as she sat up, starting to stretch.

"Finally you got off of me." She spoke, rubbing her own eyes.

Loki swallowed hard as he calmed himself. He was certainly embarrassed, but above all annoyed that he would let himself do such a thing. He would make sure that this was never muttered to anyone.

Neither mumbled anything after that. Both were tense and found looking each other in the eye rather difficult after that awkward sleep.

"We should get moving." Loki spoke emptily, calming his breathing. Anything to change the subject at hand.

Alia was hit with the realisation of why they were actually in jötunheimr in the first place, and followed Loki's train of vision.

"Do you think it's a good idea to travel in that?" She pointed out to the thick snow. The storm had calmed, but it had left behind quite an obstacle.

"What do we suppose we do? We can't afford to waste anymore valuable time." 

Alia recognised the truth in his words, she just really didn't want to travel in such conditions.

"I suppose you're right." She admitted, yawning. She felt Loki's eyes trail on her as she did so, but elected to ignore it.

"Do you have any food?" Alia followed up, briefly glancing down to her stomach.

"Not on me. However, earlier I encountered these idiotic and drunken light elves, they will probably have some kind of food on them and could provide some form of aid." Loki explained, referencing her wound in annoyance.

Alia nodded in agreement, figuring that was their only solution for breakfast.

"Then let's go." Upon his words, he crawled out of the cave, already treading his feet in the snow. Alia sighed at his quick walking, taking her time to follow.

"Wait!" Alia called after him, trying to gather the energy to get up. She did this, only to fall over again at the pain, due to her wound. This caused Loki to hiss as well, clutching his side once more.

Loki growled loudly, as he marched back to the cave.

"You just had to get yourself injured." He whispered underneath his breath, but every word still managed to sound cynical and rough. Alia merely replied with a shrug, causing Loki to grow even more frustrated.

"What are you going to do to me, kill me?"   
She teased, knowing full well that he couldn't.

Loki crossed his arms over his chest, looking down upon Alia. If the bound was not in place, she would of been gone a long time ago. Perhaps not killed, but certainly discarded. He briefly looked up, sending a mini hate letter to Odin, before deciding on a worthy idea. Fed up enough already, he picked Alia up and placed her over his right shoulder. Alia didn't protest; she didn't mind getting a free lift.

He swiftly turned around and started his journey once more, this time slower with the weight on his shoulder.

"I don't want to here a word from you." He hoarsely said. Alia merely rolled her eyes, trying with all her strength not to protest. 

 

****

 

After hours of tired walking, at least for Loki, they found the wooden shack that he had found shelter in earlier.

"Here we are." Loki breathed finally, his shoulder beginning to strain from holding the woman for so long. He let her down, surprisingly gently, and Alia stretched her legs.

Alia met his eyes for the first time in a while.

"Thank you." She nodded towards him, meaning her words. Loki was expecting a snarky remark, so was pleasantly surprised.

"You have an odd way of surprising me, girl." Loki admitted, for once speaking before thinking.

Alia was taken aback by his upfront honesty, and was tongue tied briefly.

She painted on a wide smile,   
"I can surprise the God of mischief?" She chuckled, and Loki rolled his eyes once she spoke.

"And we're back." He spoke bitterly and briefly, causing Alia to frown.

Loki noticed the door was cracked slightly open and so went to fully open it, while Alia complained.

"And what's that supposed to mea-" Alia paused seeing Loki's surprised face. She walked up behind him, only to be stopped by Loki's arm, blocking her from entering until he had scanned the room. Although it was to stop himself being hurt in the long run, it still made her feel warm, which she cursed herself for. 

Curiously, she peered over his arm, looking inside the mess of a room.

There were no elves like Loki had previously described, rather blood stains, where perhaps the elves would of been.

"What the..." Alia breathed, stepping in after Loki had dropped his arm to examine the scene.

He bent down next to the 'bar' stools, and saw that the blood had not yet dried.

"This is recent." He explained. Although he didn't show it, Loki was troubled. He knew creatures here were tough and violent, but he had never seen anything as brutal and vile as this in jötunheimr.

"At least they had the decency to get rid of the corpses." Alia attempted to justify, feeling a bit queasy staring at the deep crimson blood.

"I wouldn't say that. They probably fed the corpses to savage beasts of some kinds." Loki said with a sigh, getting up from his kneeling position.

Alia pursed her lips, silently agreeing.  
"Would it be bad to look through there stuff for supplies?" Alia inquired, hesitantly.

"No, it's survival." Loki replied, turning round to look at the bags and alcohol owned by the light elves.

"Everything is in jötunheimr."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry- that was super dramatic.


	9. Scavenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Alia scavenge for food.

Alia and Loki started to scavenge the bags for any sign of food or water, or anything they would generally need. The only liquid they found was alcohol, which came as no surprise, or a mysterious yellow bottle in the corner, which they had already both deduced as the elves piss.

"Lovely." Loki spoke sarcastically, peering nearer to the strong-odoured urine. He poked it with his foot cautiously, careful not to topple it over. Alia questioned his move, but found it amusing, as he treated the elves piss as a potential threat.

"Isn't it just." Alia muttered, drawing her attention away from Loki. She ripped through another bag and sighed in relief. At last, Alia had found some kind of useful substance.

"Here." Alia called Loki over. He complied and leaned closer, looking over her shoulder at the bag.

Inside were various fruits that Alia did not recognise, and a few cans of soup. She raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar food as she took the blue, circular and apple-looking fruit out of the bag, and tossed it to Loki. He caught it with ease, and his eyes flashed in realisation upon a closer look.

"This is frost giant food." He explained, turning the food round. Alia had her doubts on the fruit, and wasn't sure if she were okay to eat it, her being asgardian and all.

"Will it be okay for me to eat?" Alia questioned, having doubts. As it was Jotun food, she was frightened at how cold it would be.

He smiled reassuringly,  
"Created by Jotuns, made for everyone." He said briefly, the corners of his mouth tipping upwards.

Alia stifled a laugh at his small advertisement.  
"Admittedly Loki, that sounds like a slogan."

He creased his brows momentarily, before realising the meaning. Upon the realisation, he let out a breathy chuckle, agreeing with the asgardian.

"Ah. I suppose you're right." Loki admitted, causing a small grin to spread across both of their faces.

Alia looked back into the bag, seeing more and more similar looking fruits. After her and Loki had decided on rations and what was okay to eat at the current time, they went ahead and ate. Surprisingly, the food wasn't that bad. Soon they were well fed, but still quenched for water. They elected to avoid alcohol at all costs, so hoped that they would find water on the way to the centre of jötunheimr.

They took the elves sleeping bags and blankets, which were small but still better then nothing, and quickly left the empty and raided bags behind.

They didn't want to clean up the blood, which had now stained the wooden floor, as it wasn't their doing. Some would say it was common decency to do so, but they were under a timer here.

Once they were outside the wooden shack, Alia was reminded of the bitter cold. She shivered, but withdrew from making any complaints.

Loki looked around, scanning his surroundings, on edge. Alia sent a curious look his way, which he ignored entirely.

Without a word he started to walk again, quickly reaching the edge of the snow hill that the shack was placed upon. Without looking back to Alia, he started to trek down it.

Alia followed slowly, limping. It wasn't painful to walk that way, but her pace was significantly lower then Loki's. Alia had no idea how long it was to the centre of Jötunheimr, especially on foot, so she was putting her faith in Loki.

As she finally reached the snow hill, she looked down to see that Loki had stopped entirely, focusing on his hearing. Alia frowned in confusion, she was at least 5 seconds behind Loki, so he should of been half way down the hill by then.

She assumed Loki had stopped due to her slow pace, so Alia sighed at his action.  
"I don't need a lift." Alia warned, already sensing his moves.

Loki flinched at her voice, which she quickly noticed, and she was taken aback by his response.

[Be quiet.]

Loki hissed as he raised a hand, silencing Alia. He was clearly deep in thought. Due to his strange behaviour, she quickly became on edge.

[Why?]

She asked, looking around anxiously. Alia was in no position to fight, and Loki surely couldn't take everything alone.

She didn't get an answer, showing that Loki didn't truly know. The fact that Loki was as ignorant on the situation caused her to internally panic.

Loki approached her warily, climbing up the short distance between them, eyeing her wound. He grasped her hand and hauled it over his shoulder, assisting her in walking down the hill.

[Quickly.]

Is all he spoke as she limped along quicker, using Loki's weight. He had his hand around her back, applying pressure onto the wound. Alia could feel Loki's hair tickle her ear, and it was strangely comforting.

After a few minutes of quick walking, Alia decided to strike conversation again.

[Is it okay to speak now?]

She asked, growing sick of the silence.

"Yes. I believe it's okay now." Loki whispered, not entirely sure of his own answer.

"Good, can we slow down then?" Alia panted, letting her head drop so that she was staring down at her feet.

Loki flinched in realisation, not recognising his own quick pace.

"For now." He warned her.

Alia expected Loki to let go of her and leave her to walk for herself, but he continued in assisting her. When she started to slip in his grip, he reinstated his hold, his hand firmly over hers. Alia looked at Loki questionably, but he diverted his eyes away from her.

"I can walk by myself." She spoke bitterly. She didn't mind the extra heat Loki was giving her, but the lack of explanation made her uncomfortable.

"If you're assuming this is out of sentiment, which you most likely are, you are certainly wrong. You seem to forget that whatever happens to you happens to me. If you die, I die. I'd rather not have your slow pace as my downfall." He spoke grudgingly, looking straight ahead.

Alia rolled her eyes,  
"Who was following us then, to leave you so agitated?" She asked hesitantly, sensing Loki's hissy fit.

"I'm not entirely sure, but it wouldn't really be a challenge to defeat us at the moment, would it?" He spoke sarcastically, raising his eyebrows.

Alia hummed in agreement, realising their feet were in time.

"I suppose you have a point." She agreed, "How long until we reach the city, do you reckon?"

"At this speed," he paused, a subtle jab, as his eyes wondered to her, "it'll take us a couple of hours."

"I see."

She made an effort to move quicker, which Loki approved of.

Alia wanted her wounds treated and a safe, comfy place to sleep. She just hoped the city would provide that without much questioning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this was super short... whoops


	10. A Simple Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two rings on two different people can form assumptions in one's brain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations for the conversations will be at the end.  
> I just used google translate- their language was Icelandic.

The pair finally reached civilization before sundown; a miracle, to say the least.  
It was due in part to Loki's non-stop bickering, and Alia having the power to put up with it, speeding up to reduce his complaints that lingered on the edge of his tongue, spewing whenever she made the slightest fault or showed any signs of slowing down. Alia had already cursed Odin for the situation she had been put in, but she had to remember her reward. A chance to call somewhere home again, a chance to rehabilitate and make friends. What more could she want?

Alas, after the nasty journey, they had returned to Loki's birth place. They knew him as Jotun, a creature like themselves, so both Alia and Loki had a disguise fit to trick them already. No use for magic- which Loki was thankful for, due to how tired he had become.

"What's the plan?" She spoke aloud as they slowed to a stop, taking a breather near a campsite. The city was scarcely a place in itself. Jotuns were littered from place to place, all segregated into different groups; Alia assumed those groups were their families- or what was left of them, anyways.

"Lay it low. Claim to be lost and in need of help for your injury." Loki explained, eyeing the fires the tall creatures had lit.

"Are you sure we shouldn't try a different approach? These guys seem hungry; I don't want to be their dinner." Alia countered.

"And you won't be if you do what I say. Just let me speak, I have a way with persuasion." He stepped forward, allowing Alia to view his armour from the back- his shoulders broad and straight to appear more confident. 

Alia shrugged, trusting Loki with this one. She tagged behind him ever so slightly, following his lead.

He went with the camp on the far right- the camp with the most women and children.

"Greetings." He spoke solemnly, causing their heads to turn and a few others to look from neighbouring camps.

''Manna," An elderly woman spoke, almost afraid, "Manna!"   
The young children looked up curiously at the pair. The older Jotuns exchanged looks between them. Alia spied some men within the group picking up knives that clung to their waists. 

"Það er svo hvítt." One snickered, causing the entire camp to laugh. Alia could feel and see Loki tense in front of her. She knew no other language apart from English, and a bit of Groot, which she had chosen as an elective during her schooling days on Asgard. Due to his reaction, she assumed Loki knew the language they were speaking.

''Ekki manna. Ég er einfaldlega ferðamaður. A vegfarandi við.'' Loki spoke elegantly, surprising both Alia and the camp. Alia assumed, him being Jotun and all, that it came naturally to him.

"Ah skít, það er ekki gaman.'' One child spoke, earning a slap of his head from an elder. 

''Þú ert vissulega mannlegur. Hvað ertu, skepna?'' The woman in front of him spoke, keeping her child within arms reach. The woman was clearly heavily pregnant with another child.

''Ekki ógn. Það er allt sem þú þarft að vita.'' Loki replied smoothly, yet keeping his face stern.

A man in the group pointed to Alia and spoke,  
"Talar konan þín?''

Loki shifted, uncomfortable with the question he had been asked.

"Ekki af þessu tungumáli.'' He camly responded. 

Alia frowned, she didn't like this at all.

The man narrowed his crimson eyes at Loki, before dismissing his response with a wave of his hand.  
"Farið til Afi. Hann mun veita þér herbergi. Hann hefur dauða fugl fyrir utan hús sitt. Það kemur á kostnað. Hann getur meðhöndlað sárið.''

Loki nodded, smirking ever so slightly. Alia registered that as a good sign.

He turned slightly, so he was addressing the entire group.  
''Þakka þér fyrir.''

They nodded in response. Alia noticed a few of the girls looking up at her with wonder in their eyes. With uncertainty, she just waved awkwardly, hoping that would satisfy their curiosity. A few smiled, but most continued to stare. She doubted they even recognised the gesture.

"Come, Alia." Loki called for her, already turning to leave.

"Where to?" She called back, jogging to meet him by his side.

"The Jotun said there was shelter for us, a room we can stay in. We need to look for a man named Afi." He explained, already picking up his pace.

Alia looked around, not knowing any place inside where they could stay. The entire city was in ruins. Buildings had collapsed and only a few had the power to remain standing. Dirt and dust polluted the air, getting in Alia's eyes and lungs.

"And where is this so called Afi?" She questioned, now matching his speed with a struggle.

"He owns rooms and has a dead bird outside his house. With few still standing houses, he won't be hard to find."

Alia nodded, finding his logic correct.

****

They stood outside a door with a dead, caged black bird hanging by the side of his house.

"This has got to be him." Alia commented. Loki hummed in response, leaning in to knock on the smooth wooden door.

Loki let his knuckles brush the door three times, before stepping back and awaiting an answer.

After a brief minute, they heard shuffling from behind the door.

Before long, a tall and fat Jotun was blocking the door way, staring down at them with confusion.

"Manna." He nodded, analysing both of them. Alia sighed, hoping the Jotun knew her language to some extent.

The two were well dressed if you compared them to the starving Jotuns, so that helped their case. His eyes caught on the two golden rings the two shared, raising a brow at Loki. Loki noticed this, glancing down to it himself, brushing a finger over it.

"Manna looking for place to stay with wife?" He spoke with broken English. Alia's breath hitched and her eyes widened in surprise at his assumption. Loki, on the other hand, didn't show any reaction. Before she could protest, Loki spoke.

"Yes, we are." Loki smirked, catching Alia's eye as she internally screamed at him.

The Jotun let out a breathy chuckle before leading them in. Alia was hit with a whiff of wine and other alcohol that she had grown accustomed to over the years she had been banished. In all honesty, she had forgotten that the beverages existed.

"Money?" He asked as he pushed them down the carpet-worn corridor.

"Yes, we will pay." Loki assured.

"Good." He nodded. An awkward pause played out between the three of them as he stared at her wound.

"I send help." The jotun poked Alia's forehead, causing her to let out a low suffocated grunt.

"Amazing." Alia murmured. All she wanted was to sleep, and every single second was draining her physically. 

Afi smiled and puled himself up a staircase that led to rooms. In comparison to the rest of Jotunhemir, the place wasn't that bad. It wasn't clean, but it certainly wasn't dirty- unlike the outside.

"Come." Afi called for them, which prompted the two to follow him.

Before long, they had reached the second floor of the 'hotel'.

He pointed to a door to the left of him and grunted,  
"Here."

Loki nodded in response, being handed a key for the door. He stated his thanks, which caused Alia to do the same.

"Thank you." Alia voiced for the first time in a while.

Afi smiled widely at their thanks.  
"Manna welcome,'' he turned to Alia, "hóra welcome."

Alia raised her brows, but still smiled, finding the words peculiar. The Jotun turned and left back down the stairs.

Loki turned his back on her as he opened the door.

"Did he just call me a-"

"A whore? Yes." He chuckled, pushing open the door to the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Manna= Human.
> 
> "It is so white."  
> "Not human. I am a traveller. A passer by."  
> "Ah shit, that's not fun."  
> "You certainly look human. What are you, creature?"  
> ''Not a threat. That's all you need to know."  
> "Does your woman speak?"  
> "Not in this language."  
> ''Go to Afi. He will give you a room. He has a dead bird outside his house. It comes at a cost. He can treat the wound.''  
> ''Thank you.''  
> \--------
> 
> Sorry this chapter was so short and boring. I just have exams on at the moment, so everything's a bit hectic. But it's okay, they'll be over soon.
> 
> Still hope you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on my Wattpad, but I've migrated here.  
> I have loads of chapters to post, so I'll gradually post them over time (plus editing them).  
> Regardless, hope you enjoyed this chapter!


End file.
